'80s Movies Remakes

What is that old saying: Girls just wanna have '80s remakes? Maybe that's not quite it, but you'd think it was, given the increasingly long list of Me-decade movies getting a redo. Variety announced today that the '85 comedy 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' is joining the roster of flicks to be recast and reshot for a whole new generation of fans.

Here's a round-up of other '80s films that are setting up for a redo. As any '80s-movie enthusiast worth his weight in popcorn may say: Let's hear it for the remakes.
What is that old saying: Girls just wanna have '80s remakes? Maybe that's not quite it, but you'd think it was, given the increasingly long list of Me-decade movies getting a redo. Variety announced today that the '85 comedy 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' is joining the roster of flicks to be recast and reshot for a whole new generation of fans.

Here's a round-up of other '80s films that are setting up for a redo. As any '80s-movie enthusiast worth his weight in popcorn may say: Let's hear it for the remakes. -- By Angie Argabrite

'Bright Lights Big City': Teen-TV auteur Josh Schwartz ('The O.C') is set to remake the 1988 film based on a Jay McInerney novel and starring a young Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates as New Yorkers caught up in the wild life. Welcome to the Big Apple, bitch.

'Fame': Poke a fork in it, this one's done. A teacher in the 1980 original, Debbie Allen returns as the school principal, and famous faces Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth and Megan Mullally also show up. The students will be portrayed by such newcomers as Naturi Naughton and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and TV vet Kay Panabaker. The movie's set to release on Sept. 25, 2009.

'Flight of the Navigator': Disney's 1986 alien-adventure flick is on the studio's remake roster. Since the success of the 'Escape to Witch Mountain' do-over, is it really any surprise the Mouse House is looking to mine more of its past hits for future treasure? We just wonder how Dwayne Johnson will figure in this one.

'Footloose': 'High School Musical' helmer Kenny Ortega is on board for this musical romp about a town that can't dance (like, literally -- there's a law!). Kevin Bacon's role in the '84 original made him a household name, and now 'Gossip Girl' hunk Chace Crawford will be filling his dancing shoes. But who'll step up to make the soundtrack sing, a la the Kenny Loggins original?

It was 25 years ago that the small-town, teen-angst film 'Footloose' hoofed it through an abandoned warehouse and made Kevin Bacon a superstar, grossed more than $80 mil at the U.S. box office and spawned a hit Broadway musical.

Not bad for a little movie that received mixed reviews when it came out, eh? With a remake currently in the works (now starring 'Gossip Girl' cutie Chace Crawford), we wanted to find out what happened to all those folks from the tiny burg where dancing was outlawed.

Let's see where the cast has been this quarter-century (yeah, that's how they'd say it in 'Footloose' country). -- By Ryan McKee

Then: After a bit part in 'Animal House' and catching critics' attention as the surly Timothy Fenwick in 'Diner,' Bacon hit the big time as Ren McCormack in 'Footloose.' The hardnosed Chicago teen (Bacon was actually 24 at the time) just wants to dance. Is that so wrong? You gotta give it to the boy ... just give the boy a chance.

Now: While his career has ebbed and flowed, the inspiration for the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game has averaged at least a film per year since 'Footloose.' He's been married to actress Kyra Sedgwick for 20-plus years; they have two children, Travis and Sosie. Most recently he played an aide to Tricky Dick in the acclaimed 'Frost/Nixon,' spoofed prank shows with the FunnyorDie.com video 'Bacon'd,' directed episodes of Sedgwick's hit cable series 'The Closer' ... and on the downside, lost an undisclosed amount in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

Then: A Juilliard-trained musician, Singer appeared in the TV version of 'Fame' before reportedly beating out Madonna for the role of Ariel Moore. She may be the preacher's daughter, but this adrenaline junkie is no choirgirl. After she and her meathead boyfriend give Ren a hard time, she falls hard for his immoral hip shakes.

Now: After roles in a string of '80s films and Robert Altman's'Short Cuts,' Singer has focused on her music. In the short film 'Sarabande,' she plays alongside master cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Most recently she performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in January 2008.

Then: Reverend Moore -- the anti-dance, anti-rock, slaphappy holy roller -- made it his mission to raise the small town to heaven. The early '80s were hot times for the stage and screen veteran. In addition to his role in this box office smash, Lithgow was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1983 and 1984 for 'The World According to Garp' and 'Terms of Endearment,' respectively.

Now: He's continued to work on stage and screen with recent roles in 'Dreamgirls' and 'Confessions of a Shopaholic.' However, this TV generation probably knows him best as the excitable alien father in '3rd Rock From the Sun,' and he's connecting with a whole new generation as a children's book author. He recently popped in for a cameo on '30 Rock' and is rumored to be in the upcoming 'Smurfs' movie.

Then: As Vi, the Reverend's devoted yet realistic wife, Wiest became the only parent in town speaking any sense. After the role, the gentle-voiced actress caught the attention of Woody Allen and became inducted to his crew of regulars. Her roles in 'Hannah and Her Sisters' and 'Bullets Over Broadway' both won her Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress.

'The Karate Kid': Will Smith's son Jaden has been cast in the role that made Ralph Macchio ... well, Ralph Macchio. And Jackie Chan has reportedly agreed to be the Mr. Miyagi of this new incarnation, though his character is named Mr. Han. Will this version live up to its 1984 predecessor? We only know that Chan should have no problem helping Smith master the crane.

'Nightmare on Elm Street':The 1984 slasher flick gave us bad dreams with Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, but it also put the dreamy young Johnny Depp on the screen for the first time. The remake has Jackie Earle Haley as the knife-handed fiend, and teen stars like Thomas Dekker ('Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles') and Katie Cassidy ('Harper's Island') as his prey. We like the sounds of that 'Street' cred.

'Red Dawn': The new version of this '84 flick that starred Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Grey as teens going into defense mode when WWIII hits, now has a writer, director and star -- the latter being Chris Hemsworth, an Aussie who'll take on Swayze's part in the lead. Hemsworth's also been cast as Thor in Kenneth Branagh's eponymous adventure ... so expect to see his big hammer in the not-too-distant future.

'Robocop': The 1987 original was big, bloody, violent and, depending on your opinion, brilliantly over-the-top or just plain too much. Darren Aronofsky has long been rumored to be interested in directing the revamp, and after last year's raw heartbreaker 'The Wrestler,' we're picturing Mickey Rourke as the half-man,half-robot lead. It'll at least cut down on the F/X budget, if you know what we mean.

'Short Circuit': This cute-little-robot-causes-big-trouble 1986 trifle starred the Gute (that's Steve Guttenberg) and Ally Sheedy ... and Number 5, that cute little robot, of course. Now that Guttenberg's career has had something of a renaissance -- 'Dancing With the Stars' does that to a fella -- would producers possibly bring him back for this reworking? And we don't want to robo-cast, but we think WALL-E would be perfect as Number 5.